The Things We Conquer
by AcentiaPrime
Summary: With Galvatron defeated, Acentia and Optimus help to rebuild Cybertron after the war. Or, that was the plan anyway. Starscream seems to have taken over after Galvatron and wants Cybertron to himself and has gained a rather powerful following.
1. Chapter 1

It's a new age for Cybertronians. With Galvatron defeated, the Decepticons have been disbanded. Those who wanted to keep their Decepticon badge were banished from Cybertron, a cruel but necessary act. Those who agreed to give up their badge were given immunity from all past crimes. The same course of action was taken with the Autobots, though most of them agreed to give up their badge where only a handful of Decepticons gave up theirs. Of course, not everyone was pleased with this decision. In fact, many cybertronians still remained unconvinced that the Decepticons were not planning something bigger, especially with Soundwave in such a high position of power in their government. Optimus, however, denied all allegations against Soundwave, declaring him 'a respectable Cybertronian who deserves to be on this planet just as much as the next bot.' Soundwave had pushed for Kaon to be rebuilt and as a result of his success and determination, he was placed on the council. After this decision was made by Acentia, Optimus, and Ultra Magnus, a couple council members elected to leave as they did not want to work with such a high ranking ex-decepticon like Soundwave. So, with the addition of a few new members, the Council now consisted of eight: Optimus, Acentia, Ultra Magnus, Alpha Trion, Soundwave, Perceptor, Jazz, and Drift. Today was Soundwave's first day on the job and he was late.

"Primus, that man needs to check his internal clock." Mocked Jazz. "Why is he late anyway?"

"He told me he might be late today. He had an appointment with Ratchet and he wasn't sure how long it would take." Acentia said casually.

"How is old Ratchet these days? I haven't spoken to him in quite some time." Drift inquired.

"Ratchet is quite angry with himself." Said Acentia.

"Is that because of Soundwave?" Drift asked. Acentia nodded.

"Yes, it deeply disturbs him because, in theory, Soundwave should be perfectly functional."

"Ratchet just needs time. I however, fear that the damage is permanent." Said Optimus. At that moment, Soundwave rolled in.

"Sorry i'm late. Ratchet wouldn't let me go."

"You are excused, Soundwave." Said Optimus with a nod of his head. Soundwave made his way to his seat. When he got to it, he looked at the chair and laughed nervously.

"It seems I haven't quite mastered moving around.." Acentia and Drift smiled sympathetically and got up to help him into his seat. They picked him up out of his wheelchair, legs hanging limply off his torso, and they gently set him down. As the two returned to their chairs, Soundwave shifted in his seat in an effort to make himself more comfortable.

"Perhaps Soundwave, we will make accommodations for you." Said Ultra Magnus.

"Oh, that won't be necessary." Soundwave protested.

"Of course." Ultra Magnus said with a nod is his head. Acentia looked around, seeing that everyone was done talking.

"Okay, so, we need to go over all of the housing applications. I sent you all the applications for the districts you agreed to be in charge of and you can find them on your data pads." Acentia said. "We have a lot of them so this will take a while but a lot of Cybertronians are returning and many of them sent these in and want them reviewed and approved before they arrive." Acentia said energetically.

"Are Bumblebee, Ironhide, and Hound gonna be returning to Cybertron?" Jazz asked. Acentia turned her attention to Optimus.

"They are still needed on Earth, though I have been told they are almost ready to come home." Said Optimus.

"Damn, I miss those guys." Jazz said as he turned his attention to the housing applications he had to review. Silence hung in the room as everyone went to work.

"Is Bumblebee going to be a part of the council Optimus? I remember him being very good with diplomatic situations and we could benefit from his experience on Earth." Said Acentia .

"That will be for Bumblebee to decide." Optimus said while he checked off another application. He paused. "Though i do believe that he would like to be a part of the council again."

"Again?" Acentia asked, shocked. Optimus nodded.

"He was part of the council a few years before we left for Earth. In fact, he was the one who suggested that we go there. He found some weak Decepticon signals and thought it would be worth the trip to investigate."

"Good instincts." Acentia noted and approve another application.

"Indeed." There was silence as everyone went through their applications.

"Rodimus?!" Drift blurted angrily. Optimus looked up from his data pad. "I thought he died during the war?! When I stopped hearing from him, I assumed…." Drift surged out of his chair. "Oh does he have a storm coming if he thinks he can just waltz in here like.." Drift was furious. Acentia and Optimus were chuckling."Hey! You two!" Drift yelled and pointed at Optimus and Acentia. "No comments from the peanut gallery!"

"Haha! Sorry Drift. Optimus and I placed a bet on what your reaction would be when you saw that." Drift scoffed. Optimus handed over a bag to Acentia, presumably full of coins but Drift wasn't sure.

"He's not even in my fragging district! He's... Wait... Soundwave?" Soundwave looked up from his data pad at Drift. "He's moving to Kaon?" Drift said with a dumbfounded expression and slumped into his chair.

"Really?!" Soundwave said. Drift sent the application to Soundwave, who made a face of genuine surprise once he glanced through the file. "That's... That is really something else."

"Yes, Rodimus thought having him there might help keep things... civil. Kaon is known to be a sketchy part of Cybertron and prejudice will remain for many years. We need someone the public trusts on the inside. While _we_ don't think Kaon will cause much trouble, the public eye is not so open-minded... Though I must say, having all of the ex-decepticons helping out to rebuild and re-engineer Cybertron has definitely helped their image." Acentia said. Soundwave nodded.

"Yes, I told them all that if they wanted to be a part of this planet they had to help bring Cybertron into working order. They have, so far, exceeded my expectations." Soundwave said.

"That doesn't explain why Rodimus disappeared!" protested Drift.

"We don't know what happened to Rodimus that made him disappear. We just know that he's returning. He contacted Optimus and he looked a bit... worse for wear." said Acentia.

"What, like he's been fighting?" asked Drift, concerned.

"That's what it looked like to me." Drift pondered over this.

"There is no point in pondering over what he's been up to, you'll never know. He will be here in a few weeks, you can ask him then." Said Ultra Magnus, who was looking over an application with a steely focus. With the knowledge that Rodimus was returning to Cybertron, and the fact that he appeared to have been doing a lot of fighting, Ultra Magnus was concerned about what trouble he might bring back with him.


	2. Chapter 2

I was brought out of my sleep mode by Acentia, she was stirring. _Oh no_. I thought as I hurried to grab her arms. As soon as I grabbed one arm, Acentia started to struggle to get her arm free. I quickly grabbed her other arm, pinning both of them behind her back. It didn't take much longer for her attack to reach its peak.

Rung said these attacks were a result of guilt, I do not agree... The first time this happened I was caught off guard and she was able to cause injury to both herself and me, mostly me, before I was able to restrain her. I would never say it to her up front but the thought is always on my mind that she has a deep rooted anger. Rung thinks the anger is a reaction to the guilt but I, again, disagree.

She struggled to get free from my grasp; screaming, kicking, crying. "I wish I could my love, but I cannot." I said. It never got easier, seeing her in this state. It was a painful, almost daily, experience for both of us. I began humming a Cybertronian lullaby. Acentia slowly began to calm down, though still shivering from the attack. I laid my head on hers and wrapped my arms around her.

"I… I just…" Acentia began to say, turning into my arms.

"Shh. It's alright." I said, stroking the back of her head. After a while, Acentia's body stopped shivering and she fell to sleep. I sat there, holding her in my arms. I to, eventually, went to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Optimus was already awake when he heard a knock echo throughout the house. He looked over to see that Acentia was still asleep, _Figures_. He thought, affectionately stroking her cheek before leaving the room. knock knock. He was walking down the hallway to the front door and the knocks were getting more insistent. He opened the door and the first face he saw was Ultra Magnus, behind him were Ratchet and Soundwave. "Oh, I had almost forgotten." Ratchet chuckled.

"Gettin' a little old are we?" Ratchet said.

"Like you have room to talk." Optimus teased, Ratchet chuckled. Optimus moved aside to let everyone in. "Nice to see you again Soundwave." Soundwave nodded in response.

"Where is Acentia?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"Still sleeping."

"Still?! Does she ever get out of bed? The da.." Ratchet was cut off when Acentia came up behind him and firmly grabbed his shoulders.

"Talking about me again are we?" Acentia said, a bit darkly, her head propped over his shoulder. Ratchet's startled face made everyone laugh, Ratchet let out a nervous laugh. Acentia released her grip and walked over by Optimus "haha! Really Ratchet, you ought to check your surroundings before talking about your friends like that." Acentia said with a smirk. Ratchet was a little put off by her sudden change of tone.

"I meant nothing by it, I assure you." Ratchet said. Acentia waved her hand.

"Don't worry about it." She turned her attention to the rest of the group. "So, what do we have plans for today?" silence.

"I wanted to go out and check how Kaon was progressing." Said Soundwave, everyone awkwardly looked around. "But, I can go by myself if you all don't want to go." The group was silent for a moment before Acentia spoke up.

"Nonsense! We would all be delighted to see the new Kaon!" Acentia said, all too eager to go with Soundwave's plan. Soundwave smiled and turned around, ready to go when everyone else was. Acentia looked back at Ultra Magnus and Ratchet, who seemed less than pleased with the idea of visiting Kaon. They gave her a look that said "really?" Acentia glared at them, essentially telling them that they were going regardless of whether they wanted to go or not. Optimus had no rejection to the idea, seeing his childhood home being rebuilt would be a wonderful sight to behold. Acentia walked up behind Soundwave and started pushing him out of the house, the rest of the group followed closely behind. Soundwave's been through enough. What he needs right now is to feel that he belongs somewhere. She thought to herself as the group made their way to Kaon on foot.

...

The view as they approached Kaon was remarkably beautiful. Soundwave sat and looked at the awe on everyone's face. He had made plans to make Kaon one of the most beautiful neighborhoods on Cybertron next to Iacon.

"Both luxurious and economical." Soundwave said.

"It's beautiful!" Said Ratchet. Soundwave just smiled and continued onward. As they passed into the city that would soon be a bustle of activity, Soundwave announced his plans for what each building was being built for. The group also discussed non-political matters. Acentia asked Ratchet about his family, which in turn brought up the subject of younglings to Optimus and Acentia and after a few jokes the two declared they hadn't thought much about the subject. The tour continued.

"So, here is the housing district. There are lots of living quarters, both high class and lower class. The lower class living quarters, while not as lavish as the high class, are still upscale and affordable for everyone. I don't want anyone in my district to be homeless. Anyone can live here, there are no restrictions, a 'come one come all' community." Acentia smiled as she saw the joy in Soundwave's face.

"At what cost though? Surely there must be one downside, if everything is lavish and still affordable.." Said Ultra Magnus.

"I owe a lot of money to the bank, and I will probably be in debt for the rest of my life, but it's worth it." Soundwave said with a sigh of accomplishment.

"How will you afford to live anywhere?" Asked Ratchet.

"I am living in one of the lower class housing complexes. I'm broke at the moment but since I technically own the place, the bank has no issues with it."

"But, Soundwave," Acentia walked in front of him and kneeled to his level. "What if you decide to have younglings? Do you want them to suffer by having to pay off your debt?" Soundwave scoffed and waved his hand at Acentia.

"No one's going to love me, not like this." Soundwave said, motioning to his legs. Acentia opened her mouth to protest but Optimus laid a hand on her shoulder. Acentia looked up at him, sighed and stood on her feet and the group continued the tour of Kaon. Acentia was quiet the rest of the tour and when it was finished, everyone went home.

...

Optimus and Acentia walked into the house and Acentia slammed the door behind her.

"Acentia! Was that really necessary?" Optimus asked.

"Why Optimus?! Why does he say things like that?"

"Who am I to know why others say the things they do." Acentia scoffed

"Okay Mr. Philosopher." Acentia said in a derogatory tone. Optimus sighed and placed a hand on his hip.

"First of all, I am not a philosopher. Second of all, Soundwave is probably depressed. Think of what being the only cybertronian who can't walk must be like."

"I imagine it's awful... But that's no excuse to assume that no one can love you! Just because you're degenerate, or.. or dastardly doesn't mean that others won't love you or that you are incapable of loving others. There's someone out there for everyone!" Optimus smirked. Acentia's face went blank. "What?"

"You always were the romantic." At Optimus's comment Acentia squinted her eyes. Optimus turned his back and started walking away coyly. "I mean, you might as well be skipping through a field of daisies at this point. It would be a fitting scenario for you." Acentia was fuming.

"Excuse you! You're the one who had to have a companion to sleep with at night because you were afraid of the dark! And who was that companion? Me. I also remember when we were younger that you were the sensitive one. You were the one hanging onto me like a 5 year old would to it's mother!" Optimus stopped walking and turned around, a smirk on his face. "Oh you little." Acentia said, stomping right up ito his face. "I ought to smack that smirk right off your face! You're making it very difficult to stay angry at Soundwave!" Optimus put a hand on her shoulder

"That was kind of the point. Though… bringing up my childhood and teenage years wasn't entirely fair. After all, shortly after we left the academy you got stuck in the shady part of Kaon. And who had to come and rescue you? Me. How did you get stuck in that part of Kaon anyway? I forget." Acentia looked at Optimus, almost embarrassed to say it.

"I got lost and then I was too scared to move."

"Ahhh yes, that was it."

Acentia sighed. "Whatever, I'm going to bed."

"Aww come on! Don't be like that. Let's go do something."

Acentia turned around and looked at Optimus skeptically. "Like what?"

"I don't know, what do you want to do?"

"Honestly, I just want to stay home…Maybe watch something."

"Okay." Optimus said as he tenderly ushered Acentia into the living room


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up as I did every morning, to the sounds of construction. I sighed and heaved myself out of bed and into my wheelchair.

"Hey Lazerbeak, mind comming Acentia and telling her that I might be late?" No answer. "Lazerbeak?" I rolled out of the room to find none other than Starscream lounging on my couch. I quickly pulled my firearm out of its carrier.

...

Rung sat down across the table from Ratchet. Ratchet looked up from the newspaper he was reading. **Strange lights appear in Cybertron's galaxy** was the top headline. "Hello Rung." Ratchet said.

"Hello. What's up with the headliner?" Rung asked, nodding his head towards the newspaper.

"It's probably nothing. Some bot reported strange lights in the sky."

"Again? Was it the same bot?" asked Rung.

"Looks like." Rung skimmed through the headliner story.

"That's the third time this week he's come out to the newspapers. I talked to him the other day and he swears by the allspark that the lights are there. But for some reason they vanish by the time someone goes to look for them."

"The bot's probably lost a few circuits." Ratchet joked as he sipped some energon.

"I don't know Ratchet. He doesn't have much of a record. Most of the records are from his youngling days. Maybe there is something more going on than meets the eye." Rung said as he ordered some energon for himself. Ratchet merely grunted as a response.

"How was your talk with Acentia the other day?" Ratchet asked, Rung sighed.

"Same ol'. As soon as I started getting closer, she pulled away. She's a tough one to crack." Ratchet shook his head.

"There's something wrong with her head Rung. We need to figure out what it is."

"I know Ratchet, I know. It's just, she kind of scares me because i can see it. It's only for a split second at a time, but if you watch her closely, you can see the sheer amount of rage that flows through her body. I just wish I could get her to tell me why it's there in the first place."

"That rage you speak of, I know exactly what you're talking about. I saw the end of her battle with Galvatron and I'm tellin' ya, she was unrecognizable. I'm not even sure if Optimus would've been able to. I mean, there was an air around her that just fell heavy on your shoulders, and her face was contourted with anger and I could have sworn I saw a deep purple aura surrounding her body." Rung nodded. "And then, just like that, she was back to normal."

"Like a switch." Rung said.

"Like a switch."

...

Starscream nonchalantly crossed his legs, "Oh relax Soundwave, no need to be aggressive to an old friend."

"You don't belong here." I said bluntly.

"Really? I thought this was a.. Oh what did you call it..a 'come one come all community.'" Starscream said with a smirk.

"You chose to be banished from Cybertron when you kept that decepticon badge" I said, making a motion to my com unit.

"Nahuhuh." Starscream said with a wave of his finger. "Now that is not such a good idea. You see, I have a _dear_ friend of yours." Starscream said, revealing a cage that held Lazerbeak. I felt my face fall, Lazerbeak struggled to pick up his head to look at me.

"How dare you even touch him." I said, anger rising into my voice .

"Oh, it wasn't terribly difficult. He's not much without you, just a pet." Starscream looked at me. I could see something different in his eyes. He was confident, more confident than I've ever seen him. "And you." Starscream said, motioning towards my legs. "You are not much of a threat to me either." Starscream paused.

"What do you want Starscream?"

"Am I not allowed to say hello to an old comrade?" Starscream asked, trying way too hard to look innocent.

"Cut the scrap Starscream. You wouldn't have come here if you didn't need something from me." I said, still pointing my firearm at Starscream.

"Oh, well, if you insist." Starscream shifted . "I need you. Specifically I need your power within the council to introduce… A few new policies."

"Not a chance." Starscream's face turned.

"Did you forget?" Starscream said darkly, pointing his missiles at Lazerbeak. I looked over at Lazerbeak and he looked at me. I thought about my choices, which were slim. I could attack Starscream but it would risk Lazerbeak. I could do what Starscream said but it would ruin my reputation if I was discovered. No one would ever trust me or another ex decepticon again _._

"How did you even get on Cybertron?" I asked, delaying my answer.

"Oh, I have a few… inside partners." Starscream waited a few seconds before I saw him arm his weapons. "Come on now I'm not very patient, you know that.. I need an answer. Will you or will you not aid me?" I didn't answer, Starscream sneared. "Five." Starscream said. I couldn't think of a solution. "Four." I looked at Lazerbeak, I could feel the fear running through me. I couldn't move. I was racking my processor for a solution. "Three" what could I do? I was a fragging cripple. "Two."

"ALRIGHT!" I finally said, raising my hands and dropping my firearm. "Alright. Just… Just please, stop pointing that thing at Lazerbeak." Starscream smiled cruely and disarmed his weapons. Lazerbeak lowered his head, in relaxation or disappointment I wasn't sure.

"There we go. Now, about those new policies."

...

The entrance to the new track was downright phenomenal. With all of the renovations and rebuilding, Jazz thought it might be good idea to renovate the track even though it wasn't terribly damaged. Acentia had gone with him to inspect it.

"Who designed this?" Acentia asked.

"Drift and I did. We also called Bumblebee to ask him for some input. Since we spend so many of our weekends here, I mean, why not?" Acentia nodded in agreement and the two began their inspection. Halfway through, Acentia stopped and looked around, confused.

"Where is Soundwave?… He's supposed to be here isn't he?" Acentia asked.

"Yeah. This would have gone a lot faster if he didn't skip out on us." Jazz said, rolling his eyes.

"I don't think Soundwave would just skip out… It's not like him."

"Oh come on!" Jazz said, waving his arms in frustration. "The guy's a fraggin' Decepticon! Whether he still is or not doesn't matter. The guy wasn't Megatrons right hand because he was good at trimmin' his rose bushes." Jazz mocked as the two walked onto the track.

"He left the decepticons so he could make a difference. He's changed Jazz. You'd switch sides to if Optimus almost killed you!"

"Whatever you say." Jazz scoffed as he kneeled down to get a better look at the newly paved track, mumbling something under his breath about how Soundwave was probably just biding out his time. Jazz got up and stood there for a minute before speaking. "You talk about the guy like he's a saint. He's killed a lot of good bots Acentia. Many of them were my friends. The only reason I'm willing to work with the guy is because I want to believe he deserves a second chance. It doesn't mean I forgive him for what he did." Acentia was quiet as Jazz continued their inspection.

"You used to be more forgiving…" Acentia mumbled. Jazz almost missed the comment. He turned around, stopping Acentia in her tracks. Acentia could see that Jazz was getting annoyed, almost angry.

"The war changed everyone Acentia, including Optimus. I know _you_ don't want to admit it but you know deep down that he's not the same bot that you fell in love with. He is kind and warm-sparked around you but when you're not around he's distant. He wants to believe that Soundwave is a good guy but he fought against him for so long..."

"What exactly were you all thinking when you decided to go to war anyway? What was the tipping point that made you Autobots declare that fighting the Decepticons was the right thing to do?"

"When Megatron became impossible to negotiate with." Jazz said bluntly

"So you just decided to go to war against him? And what good did that do?! Hm? Because when I look around, I see a ravaged planet. An _entire_ planet Jazz, destroyed by _your_ war." Acentia's voice began to rise.

"We autobots were right in going to war against the Decepticons. Who knows what kind of damage they would've done if we didn't stand up against them. Optimus saw that Megatron was becoming dangerous, you should _respect_ his decisions. He was Prime for much longer than you when he made that choice." Jazz said with distaste.

Acentia let out a sharp breath "War doesn't determine who's right. It determines who's left. And who all is left?" Jazz was silent "Who is left Jazz? Because I see both sides are still here, still clashing. I see that, despite ending the war politically, the war is still brewing. You might not see it, but _I_ do. And it's going to come in and take more lives, all because two groups of cybertronians disagreed on how to eliminate the senate." Acentia said sternly. Acentia took a step back and breathed in deeply, realizing how tense she had become, and turned the opposite direction of Jazz.

"It was a lot more complicated than that Acentia. Yes, there are some things we regret but ultimately, we stand by our decisions because they were the best we could do at the time."

"Well, it wasn't good enough. There was so much death that was dealt, too much. Did you all even think about that? Did you think about how many you would lose?" Jazz cut her off.

"Yes, we knew we would lose a lot of friends. Our lost brethren knew full and well that they would probably die fighting but they were proud to fight for us. We were all fighting for the same reason which is something you don't seem to be understanding." Acentia sighed and began walking away. "You know… In all honesty Acentia, if it weren't for Optimus, you wouldn't even be here." Acentia turned around gave Jazz a confused look. Jazz sighed. "I mean, on the council. You would be _here_ on Cybertron, but if Optimus hadn't pushed the council, you would not be a part of it. And now you're acting as if you're a prime, like you _deserve_ that kind of status."

"I was."

"Yeah, we _all_ know you were Prime, once. It was for a very short period of time and you _abandoned_ us when we needed your guidence most." Jazz said accusingly, Acentia remained silent, struck by Jazz's words. She took a moment to gather her thoughts and emotions and the two continued their inspection in silence and returned to the Hall of Iacon.

...

"Ah, Soundwave! There you are. We were looking for you down at the track." Soundwave looked up at Acentia and smiled a bit nervously.

"Oh.. yes… About that.. I got a bit tied up." Acentia looked at him curiously. _He's scared_ Acentia noted. Before she could say anything Optimus walked in.

"Sorry i'm late. Acentia, Jazz, Soundwave how was the track looking?" Acentia and Jazz nodded. "Ultra Magnus, Alpha Trion how much longer until the library will be finished, I want those records to be kept somewhere other than in our offices."

"The workers estimate another month until completion." Ultra Magnus stated. Optimus nodded.

"Is there anything they could do to speed things along? I am kind of tired of stepping over records when I walk into my office to grab something."

"I asked sir and they said, and I quote, not without damaging the integrity of the building."Optimus sighed.

"I guess it will have to do then. Drift, what about the landing pads?"

"Ready to go sir." Drift said.

"Good, so that checks off a few more things… Oh, Acentia, when will the bulk of the population arrive?"

"Well, not for a few more months but the first wave of returnees will arrive in a couple weeks."

"Good." Optimus said, making another note on his data pad. "Well, that's all there is to do today so you all can go home" Everyone looked around, confused, for a minute. Jazz shrugged his shoulders and left and everyone except Acentia followed shortly behind. After a few moments of silence, Acentia spoke up.

"We had so much more to go over today, why cut it short?" Optimus put down his data pad and looked at Acentia with a stern look.

"Rodimus contacted me this morning."

"Oh? What did he say?" Acentia said, walking up to Optimus.

"Him and his crew got ambushed by Starscream and his… followers." Acentia's eyes widened "Much of his crew is dead. It seems that Starscream has gained a rather powerful following since Galvatron's death." Acentia shook her head.

"So, why did you only tell me this?"

"Rodimus doesn't want to cause any havoc." Optimus said. Acentia nodded her head in agreement.

"That makes sense. Even the thought of Starscream… no.. We must do something about this." Acentia said, anger audible in her voice.

"That's the thing." Optimus said, leaning back in his chair. "After he attacked Rodimus's ship, he and his team disappeared in a space bridge portal...We're lucky he attacked Rodimus's ship and not some random civilian ship where rumors could be spread."

"Indeed… When will Rodimus be here then?"

"Later today, He'll be coming by the house. Rodimus was close to Cybertron when his ship was ambushed. Which means that Starscream broke the treaty." There was a short silence, Acentia's head was lowered slightly.

"Means that we can hunt him yes?" She said darkly. Optimus looked at Acenita, surprised by her words.

"I mean, yes we can. But that's perhaps not the best way to deal with this situation right now… Are you feeling okay Acentia?" Acentia responded with a grunt. Optimus observed for a moment, taking notice of a twitch in her right hand. "Anyway. I just thought I'd let you know before Rodimus arrived. He's in pretty bad shape."

"Has Ratchet been informed?"

"Ratchet has been informed only of the fact that Rodimus is badly wounded. He does not need to know about Starscream."

"And so begins a secret war." Acentia stated, turning to leave.

"No,.No war. We will seek out Starscream and try to reason with him. If that fails…" Optimus went silent for a moment and shook his head. "I will not plunge this world in another war."

"You already have."Acentia said bluntly before stalking out.


	5. Chapter 5

Acentia found herself walking around Kaon. She stopped, looked around, and realized that she wasn't far from Soundwave's house. Oddly enough, it didn't bother her that she had no idea how she got here. Last thing she knew she was talking to Optimus about Rodimus. When she arrived at Soundwaves house, she knocked, Soundwave opened the door. His face wore shock for a moment before settling.

"I.. I am sorry Acentia but now is not a good time."  
"Now's as good a time as any."

"No its… its really not." Soundwave said, trying a bit too hard to appear casual.

"What's up with you lately Soundwave? You've been acting out of character all day." Soundwave was silent for a moment.

"Its just not a good day for me." Acentia saw something behind Soundwave.

"Can I come in?" Acentia asked. Soundwave glanced behind him and shook his head.

"I'm afraid not."

"Why not? What are you hiding Soundwave?" Acentia asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Nothing... I just don't want you in my house." Soundwave crossed his arms.

"Oh really?" Acentia pushed Soundwave out of the way. Soundwave grabbed her arm but she had seen enough, the back of Starscream's head. Soundwave pulled Acentia out of the house and shut the door behind him. Acentia looked at Soundwave with a look of betrayal. "Why?" Soundwave's jaw was clenched.

"You don't understand Acentia! I don't have a choice!" Soundwave said in hushed tones, his eyes were wide. He was so clearly distraught, Acentia could see that now and she took pity on him. She sighed.

"Come, I have a place where we can talk." Soundwave followed Acentia to a building that was nearly complete and they walked in. No one was around. Acentia motioned for Soundwave to speak. Soundwave sighed.

"This morning, I woke up and found Starscream in my living room. I wanted to kill him, believe me. But…. He had Lazerbeak… I… I couldn't risk his life Acentia. Not to someone like Starscream… not to anyone."

"You could've done something. You could have called _me_! Why leave it up to yourself?"

"I tried calling you, but right as I went to my com Starscream pointed a cannon at Lazerbeak… and what can I do anyway? I'm wasted in combat Acentia. Neither me nor Lazerbeak would have survived had I made a move on Starscream." Soundwave sighed and paused for a moment. "Lazerbeak was disappointed when I decided not to act… he knows why I did it but he doesn't understand how his life is worth more than Cybertron's… I guess he's right, it doesn't make sense. It's not logical to make the life of one individual more valuable than the rest. But that's what happens when you… when you love them. Starscream knows how much I value Lazerbeak and being the manipulative aft that he is…" Soundwave sighed and shook his head. "I want to do something Acentia, I do. But right now I can't. I have to earn Starscream's trust until we can figure out a plan of attack." Acentia remained silent for a moment, choosing her words carefully.

"When you figure out a plan... send me an encoded message. I will arrange for us to meet up and I'll give you the coordinates when we meet up for a council meeting. And as for what we're doing right now, it never happened. There is no record of us having this discussion or even talking. As far as anyone knows, You shoved me out of your house and I walked back to where I came from and then you took a stroll downtown." Soundwave gave Acentia a confused look. "It's a secret I won't divulge." Soundwave nodded slowly.

"I also…. want to apologize to Rodimus. When this is all over… I want to apologize for my actions. He doesn't know of my involvement but… I _was_ the reason Starscream was able to ambush his ship. It was supposed to be a quick 'get in, get out' job but when Starscream and his crew came back covered in…." Soundwave shook his head slowly.

"I do not blame you Soundwave." Acentia said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're doing what you think is best. I know that if I was in your place and Optimus in Lazerbeak's the outcome would be the same. I would not be able to place Optimus's life in danger, I love him too much. But trust me when I say that I will help you through this endeavor." At that, Acentia gave Soundwave a kiss on the forehead and turned to leave. She paused and turned to Soundwave. "And who knows, perhaps Starscream will screw this all up on his own." Soundwave cracked a smile. Acentia walked until Soundwave was out of sight and then morphed into her cybertronian car form and drove back home.


	6. Chapter 6

Acentia got home late, the lights were on in the living room. _riiight._ Acentia thought to herself, remembering that Rodimus was coming by once he landed. She walked in and sure enough, there was Rodimus. She saw the back of his head. Optimus looked over at Acentia.

"You're home late." Optimus said, his head resting in his hand.

"I had to run a few errands." Acentia said, placing a few things on the countertops. Acentia looked back over at Rodimus, she noticed that his head was down, as if he was asleep. Acentia went into the living room and walked behind Optimus. Optimus laid his head back and they shared a kiss. Optimus then turned his attention towards Rodimus and Acentia laid her arms over Optimus's shoulders and rested her head on top of his.

"He fell asleep almost as soon as he arrived." Optimus said. Acentia threw herself over the back of the couch, seating herself next to Optimus.

"Has he been here long?

"No. Actually, he got here shortly before you."

"Wow." Acentia said as she situated herself comfortably leaning against Optimus.

"Yeah…" Optimus said grimly, putting his arm protectively around Acentia. "He did say one thing before he fell asleep."

"Mmm, what did he say?" Optimus paused before he said anything.

"Trouble is brewing along the border between Cybertron and Decepticon territory. He said it looked like the remaining Decepticons were all congregating there." Optimus said. Acentia glanced up at Optimus.

"Well… there's nothing we can do about it until Rodimus wakes up and tells us what he knows."

"I know… I just worry for everyone's safety should this situation get out of hand… and if Starscream is behind it all…. It very well might."

Optimus and Acenita were stirred awake when the doorbell rang. Acentia got up enough to let Optimus go see who was at the door. Acentia checked her internal clock and groaned.

"It's like, seven in the morning. What poor soul is even up at this hour." Acentia whined. Optimus couldn't help but smirk as he walked towards the door.

"Perhaps, someone who actually has work to do." He teased. Optimus didn't see it but Acentia stuck her tongue out at him before she got up to check on Rodimus.

"Oh, hello Prowl." Optimus said, surprise in his voice. "And Ratchet. Are you here to patch up Rodimus?"

"Yes I am. Where is he?" Optimus pointed Ratchet over to Rodimus and let Prowl in. Acentia helped Ratchet look him over.

"What brings you here Prowl?" Optimus asked.

"Nothing good…" Prowl said bluntly. He looked very serious and Optimus saw a bit of anger in his eyes. "We have a breach in the security system out in Kaon." Prowl stated.

"Where in Kaon?" Optimus asked. Acentia overheard the conversation. She knew exactly where the breach was, she wiped the security systems clean after her conversation with Soundwave.

"The entire system. It's been wiped clean. We don't know how, but this is not good. If anything is going on in Kaon, we would never know if someone knew how to wipe the security logs clean." As Prowl explained the situation, the look on Optimus's face grew more grim.

"This is not good news. Especially with…" Optimus stopped talking and looked over at Rodimus, who Ratchet was working on.

"Yes?" Prowl asked, bringing Optimus out of his thoughts.

"If there's even the slight possibility that there are Decepticons in Kaon, then you of all should know… We don't know all of the details, but Rodimus reported seeing signs of the decepticons gathering right outside of the border." Prowl's face was hard to read but Optimus thought he saw a hint of surprise.

"You did not tell me this right away?" Prowl said. Optimus's expression turned hard.

"Like I said, we do not know the full details. We were waiting for Rodimus to wake up and give us all of the details before going to you. Lest we raise panic." Optimus warned. As Prowl took this in, Acentia walked up to the two.

"Ratchet says Rodimus should be up in the next few hours. He says there's a lot of patching up to do but it wasn't as bad as he was expecting it to be." Prowl had no reaction to the news.

"I will expect to hear from you soon Optimus. In the meantime, we will be searching Kaon thoroughly for any Decepticon activity." Optimus nodded and Prowl left. Optimus closed the door and looked over at Ratchet and Acentia. Acentia had gone back over to help Ratchet. Optimus walked over to join the two.

"Decepticon activity?" Ratchet asked, having clearly overheard the conversation.

"It's probably nothing, but you know how Prowl is." Optimus said. Acentia was not impressed with Optimus wasn't telling Ratchet about Starscream. "How is he Ratchet?" Optimus asked.

"Well, he does have some deep cuts but a lot of the damage is cosmetic." Optimus gave Ratchet a look of confusion. "Does something trouble you?"

"What would cause him to.."

"To practically faint on our couch?" Acentia finished his question. Optimus nodded.

"Yes, it just doesn't add up. He crashed within minutes Ratchet. Are you sure there isn't something more to it than just cosmetic damage?"

"I'm more stumped than you are. Nothing really adds up. Unless I missed something in my original scan." Ratchet did another scan and his face dropped.

"We need to take his armor off immediately." Ratchet said urgently. "Optimus, get Prowl back here." Optimus nodded and left immediately. "Acentia help me get all of this off."

"What? What is it Ratchet?" Acentia asked, Ratchet didn't answer. Acentia sneered "RATCHET!" Acentia yelled, grabbing Ratchets shoulders. Ratchet winced as her fingers almost dug into him.

"There's something hidden in his chest. I don't know what it is, but it looks like it's infecting his entire internal mechanism." Acentia's eyes widened and then narrowed. She nodded and her and Ratchet worked to get to whatever it was that was hidden. As Prowl and Optimus ran back into the house, Acentia and Ratchet had just uncovered the item in question.

"Oh my, Primus…" Ratchet breathed. "What is that?!" Ratchet looked at Optimus who wore an expression that clearly read disgust and anger. "Do you know Optimus?" Optimus scowled.

"That is the remains of a demon's spark."

"Really." Acentia scoffed, looking at Optimus with a skeptical expression. Optimus turned his attention towards Acentia.

"Not like the lore you are familiar with on Earth, Acenita. Long before we Cybertronians were created, Primus made his first attempt at creating life. The demons were the result. Extremely rudimentary creatures with a thirst for chaos and destruction. They feed off of energy… Any energy they can find. They were so dangerous to themselves that Primus wiped the slate clean but a few were thought to have survived deep underground." Optimus prodded the suspected demon spark.

"What if a few did survive?" Ratchet asked

"If a few did indeed survive, then the situation just got a lot worse."

"How would they have stayed concealed for so long?" Acentia asked, she could see that Optimus had grown more tense.

"My guess is that our systems simply missed them. They aren't collaborated to find such ancient life forms like the demons." There was silence as Optimus inspected the thing inside Rodimus. "Ratchet, get me the pliers." Ratchet gave him the pliers and the two watched as Optimus pried the object out of Rodimus where, underneath, the object had burned a giant hole in Rodimus's chest. Ratchet inspected the hole to determine how to fix it as Optimus moved the object to a more secure location, his office. Acentia followed swiftly behind. Once inside the office, Optimus quickly grabbed a small chest and dropped the object into it, locked it, and hid it behind the books on the shelf above his chair.

"Is it what you think it is Optimus?" Acentia asked.

"It is as I feared, Starscream has found the demons." Optimus turned around and looked Acentia in the eye "I also fear that he has many at his command."

"Why is that?"

"Because this" Optimus said, motioning to the hidden chest "isn't just a piece of a spark, it is an entire spark. If Starscream sent this as a message, then he has enough at his command that he was willing to sacrifice one to slaughter."

"Why the spark though?"

"Because he knew I would recognized it as soon as I saw it. There is much lore about these demons, however only Megatron and I have actually succeeded in finding one. I am sure Megatron shared this information with Starscream. We managed to extinguish the demon but we were left damaged. I'm sure you remember that." Acentia thought for a moment.

"Was that when you said you and Megatron were going on a trip through the mountains and didn't come back for a week?" Optimus nodded. "Ah, that accounts for you not answering your com… How many do you think survived?" Optimus was silent for a long while before he spoke. He turned his head to look out the window, his fists clenched.

"I fear…. That only a few were extinguished when Primus attempted to eradicate them."


End file.
